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Curtailing freedom

Posted by on Aug 9, 2017 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Curtailing freedom

***Breaking with my Book of Luke writings to share this. I will return to the Luke project soon.***

I just posted something on Facebook after I heard Rush Limbaugh say this: “Loss of freedoms always begins as a good thing…” It struck a chord with me, and I started writing. Interestingly, the first person who liked what I wrote is at the opposite end of the political spectrum than me. She commented, “I agree completely with you on this.” 

Honestly. We have so much to lose as a nation if we are not vigilant and if we don’t think critically. Don’t be afraid to speak your opinion, but don’t be afraid of different thought, either. If you are anchored in Christ, you can afford to be like the apostle Paul, who not only preached, but also listened to the souls in the various towns and cities he entered. He earned their respect and trust…and then spoke words that changed lives forever.

My progressive friend wants to be heard. She is of Jewish descent, and she knows—probably by family history—what it is like to be on the outs—to be hunted down—by those in charge.

I also want to be heard…or at least have the freedom to speak what I want to say without my liberty revoked. In order for this American experiment to continue, both her rights and mine to speak must be safeguarded. It may be awkward; it may be uncomfortable; it may even be offensive at times, but for the Gospel to spread unhindered, we must allow for differences without compromising the Truth of the Word.

Right now, both conservative and Christian speech are undergoing tremendous assault. We must stand boldly and speak truth in love. We must not conform to externally imposed constrictions that are becoming more and more pervasive.

However, I also believe that any attempt to enforce Christianity upon this secular society in any way other than the freely given, freely received model laid out in the early days of the church would be a huge mistake. God never forced any of us to believe; neither should we force anyone else to conform unwillingly to the kingdom of God. As strange as this sounds, I have read suggestions that such enforcement is a valid way to proceed. I disagree wholeheartedly.

Here’s what I wrote on Facebook:

Loss of freedoms always begins as a good thing…
 
When that which offends me is outlawed BECAUSE it offends me, it curtails everyone else’s freedom who may actually feel differently—even slightly differently—than I do. When you are penalized for speech that offends me, do I become one bit freer?
 
In fact, when my feelings become the barometer of what’s appropriate for everyone else, we all lose. You lose your right to disagree openly with me; I lose out on the very essence of being a human engaged with another human (who, by virtue of being someone else, will always be different than me)—an interaction sometimes humbling, sometimes enlightening, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes infuriating, but always an eye-opening, exploratory adventure into the very real diversity of thought found wherever there are two or more individuals engaged in conversation.
 
If you get penalized for offending me, do I, likewise, get penalized for offending you? If not, why not? Who decides which areas of diverse speech are offensive? Who decides the penalty? Will the goalposts ever be moved? If so, how far? Which way? By whom? Why?
 
These are some of the thoughts/questions I have concerning the regulation of speech.
 
If you feel differently, that’s also OK, because I value the freedom to have diverse thought and speech. However, I am unnerved by what I view to be a trend toward cutting off certain types of speech because they offend someone. Haven’t we walked down that path before? What good did it ever produce?
 

Do we really want to return to those days, albeit different topics, different offenses? I think I’d rather be offended than have our freedoms eroded.

 

Thanks for listening,
Dorothy
© 2017, Dorothy Frick